IMG team coach Greg Vernovage reports that the Sherpa Trek
group made it to Base Camp today and are doing well. They will spend a couple
days soaking in the ambience of the location, including taking a stroll
tomorrow up to the base of the Khumbu Icefall for some photos. The climbing
team continues to wait for a better long term forecast before launching the
summit bids. Patience!!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

IMG leader Justin Merle reports that today 14 IMG sherpas
moved up to Camp 2 in preparation for the summit bids. If the weather gives
them a break, they are planning a 3am departure in the morning to go from Camp
2 up to the Col with the final loads for establishing Camp 4.

The entire IMG team is at Everest BC doing well. Hopefully
we will launch the summit bids in the next few days if we get an improving
forecast. The Sherpa Trek team moved up to Gorak Shep today and is doing well.
Jangbu hiked with them from Lobuche, then continued on up to Base Camp. After
their overnight at Gorak Shep and an ascent of Kaka Pattar (the
small peak above Gorak Shep, with great Everest views , at about
18,200') they will come up to Base Camp tomorrow.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Earlier:
Ang Phinjo's Remains Recovered

I had a call yesterday
from Ang Jangbu up at Everest Base Camp. The remains of Ang Phinjo Sherpa,
killed April 21, 2006, had been recovered in the lower icefall near the first
ladders. Phinjo, working for IMG, and two sherpas working for Asian Trek, were
killed in an icefall collapse that day. Ang Jangbu had been touched by this
personally, as his sister was married to Phinjo, and they were from the same
village of Phortse. Phinjo was our oldest IMG sherpa (50); he went on his
first 8000 meter peak in 1973, and this 2006 trip was his 49th 8000 meter
expedition! He was a great guy who was loved by members and sherpas alike.

Jangbu reports that the police and family have now been
notified, the remains have been carried back to Phortse, and this morning they
were received by the family and then cremated. The family had already done a
big puja for him back in Phortse during the summer of 2006, so this time it
was only a small private ceremony.

Jangbu and I have worked together since 1991 and I know this
had weighed on him and the family, so it is a big relief for everyone to
finally recover Phinjo and close the loop. Phinjo is the only sherpa to die
working for IMG; other than this incident, we have had only a few minor
injuries over the years. He and the other two sherpas were doing everything
right that fateful day, but they were just in the wrong place at the wrong
time when their luck ran out. So far this year the Icefall has been very
benign, with very few collapses or avalanches. It reminds us to be vigilant,
as we prepare for our final rotations and summit bids.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Earlier:
Watching the Spin Cycle Clouds and Trading Candy

The
team is all at Base Camp, resting, doing hikes, eating a lot of Kaji's good
cooking, and staying healthy. Our Lhotse climber Brook sends his wedding
anniversary greeting to his wife Alison back in California!!

So, what do you do with a group of strong, healthy, well
prepared Everest and Lhotse climbers who are so ready to go you can feel the
excitement every time you pass each other? Well, the wind has been bad, so we
eat and rest some more.

The picture at Base Camp looks like this: Jangbu and the
staff wake up in the morning, and we look at the mountain. We can see Lhotse
and the West Shoulder of Everest. These two points are our best check points
for the wind. The reason that we look at these areas is because sometimes the
wind is not blowing in Base Camp. We have a big distance to take into
consideration when climbing this mountain. From Base Camp, we have to go into
the air where the Jet Stream likes to play.

So, we look at Lhotse and the West Shoulder of Everest. For
the past three days, the clouds have hit Lhotse like the spin cycle of the
washing machine, spinning and kicking out straight up into the sky. Fun to
watch but not for walking in. As for the West Shoulder, the spindrift screams
down from right to left and disappears into Tibet. Again, not conducive for a
summit attempt.

Hey, whatever! We are doing great! The team is in great
spirits. Plenty of laughing. We are starting to trade iPods for music and
movies.

We handed out the summit lunch sacs today which consist of a
variety of food and candy that any Halloween bag would love. The rules to the
Summit bags are don't take what you won't eat and trade it for what you like.
The Dining tent was filled with a group of grownups dumping out their bags and
making deals. I heard one grown up trading Famous Amos cookies for M&M's. My
summit bag: Swedish Fish, Hot Tamales and Gu's.

When is the weather going to give us our shot? We will let
you know. When Everest does give us our shot, the team will be on fire to get
up there. We have worked incredibly hard to get in place for the summit bid.
This is how we climb mountains. Work hard to get in position and wait for the
right time. We are waiting for our opportunity.

We talk about home regularly and appreciate all of the
support from the family and friends back home. Thanks!

—Greg Vernovage, IMG Team Coach

Earlier:
Hot Showers, Thick Air, and Good Food

Ang Jangbu
reports that Justin and the final wave of IMG members have now successfully
descended back down to IMG Base Camp after their Camp 3 overnight rotations.
All's well with the team, and everyone is enjoying hot showers, thick air, and
good food. The plan now is for everyone to take a series of rest days and get
ready for the summit bids. So far so good, stay tuned!!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

C3 Rotations Done; Now Preparing for Summit Bids

Earlier: Ang Jangbu reports that everyone is doing well on Everest:

Chris, Lein, Kay, and Ford got back down to Camp 2 safe
after their Camp 3 run. Justin's team with the Dahlems, Brian, Brook and Lei
Wang are making good progress on their way up to Camp 3. Mike B, Karel, Davis,
Mike C, Sumiyo are in the ice fall on their way down. We have 3 sherpas
carrying to the South Col and 3 sherpas carrying to Camp 2 from BC. The rest
of the regular sherpas are coming to BC for couple days rest.

—Ang Jangbu, Deputy Expedition Leader

IMG deputy leader Ang Jangbu Sherpa reports that the
following IMG sherpas reached the summit of Mount Everest between 11:25 and
11:30 AM on Wednesday, May 5, 2010:

Nima Karma Sherpa (Phortse)

Phu Tshering (Phortse)

Phinjo Dorje (Pangboche)

They fixed rope from the South Col to the Balcony yesterday
and finished fixing all the way to the summit today along with three sherpas
from two other teams: HIMEX and AAI. Congrats to all nine of these guys,
great work.

The door is now OPEN for other teams!

—Ang Jangbu, Deputy Expedition Leader

Earlier:
I talked to Phil Ershler on the sat phone, and he reports that nobody moved on
the mountain today after a healthy overnight snowfall of at least 6 inches.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

May 1st: Resting Up in BC Before Tough C3 Rotation

Justin Merle here... Today was a fine rest day for me and
some of the team in base camp. Over the past couple days some of our climbers
have started to move up the hill to acclimatize at Camp 3, so there are fewer
of us down low here. Having a smaller group in BC has its benefits: the cooks
have more time to spend cooking up tasty food, so we eat pretty well — things
like pizza, chocolate cake, BLT sandwiches and steaks. It's pretty amazing
what comes out of our cook Kaji's kitchen here at 17,500'. I was up on the
hill when he baked the reputedly verrrry tasty brownies, but I have been
around to sample the sourdough bread he recently learned how to bake. It's
quite tasty with cream cheese spread on top.

The weather today was nicer. The past few days clouds have
come in by the late morning and we've had a little snow down here. Today it
stayed sunny and warm all day — good for washing up without freezing, and for
drying the laundry. Ang Jangbu and I took a walk up to the main base camp to
see some friends and even managed to partake in a couple friendly games of
horseshoes — one win, one loss. As you might gather, rest days in base camp
are about relaxing and recovering both physically and mentally: staying
healthy, eating lots of good food, cleaning up, taking naps in the afternoon,
and playing the occasional game of hearts or poker. All in the name of being
ready to go back up the hill.

We have an array of climbers up climbing right now, all
heading toward spending a night at Camp 3. The Hybrid team left yesterday for
Camp 1, and moved up to Camp 2 today. Guides Mike Hamill and Eben Reckord
report that their team is feeling strong, and are planning to sleep at Camp 3
tomorrow before descending to rest up for their summit bid. They'll have an
early morning start — they'll walk a couple hours to the base of Lhotse Face.
From here the route steepens, climbing up 40-50 degree slopes to Camp 3, and
this year the slopes look a little icier. It'll take several hours to climb up
these steep slopes to C3, which is perched right in the middle of the face at
24,500'. This is the highest we sleep without oxygen, and it'll be a good kick
in the pants. What I mean to say is that it'll probably be an unpleasant
night, and we'll all likely feel the malaise of Acute Mountain Sickness when
we sleep there — headaches, nausea, etc... But this will be great
acclimatization and give us some good confidence to take up the hill on our
summit bids.

Today our Lhotse team climbed up toward Camp 3 and back to
Camp 2, and they'll take a couple rest days in preparation for a similar climb
to and sleep at Camp 3 prior to their summit bid.

A crew of Sherpa guided climbers, and IMG guide Greg
Vernovage climbed up through the Khumbu Icefall today to Camp 1 where they'll
sleep tonight en route to Camp 3. More climbers will head up the hill tomorrow
morning, and I'll climb up with another group of climbers on the 4th, all with
the goal to get a night in at Camp 3.

After this rotation up high, we'll all come back to base
camp to rest up, eat good food, and look for good weather to go to the top!

—Justin Merle, Expedition Leader

Earlier:
Hybrid team at Camp 1

Mike Hamil, the Hybrid team, and
their sherpas, headed up through the Icefall today and now they are at camp 1
resting comfortably. Their plan is to spend two nights up there, then move on
up to Camp 2. The next wave of IMG climbers will head up to C1 day after
tomorrow. The Express/Lhotse/C3 climbers are now down at Lobuche Peak, doing
their warm up climb. Everyone is doing well!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Upper Mountain Rope Fixing Meeting at Base Camp

Ang Jangbu reports that everything is going well on Everest,
with the IMG C3/Express/Lhotse climbers now back at Base Camp. The Sherpas
have set up a practice ladder and rope course out on the glacier, and members
have been training on this to make sure they have their gear and techniques
all fine-tuned for when they hit the Icefall in a couple days.

Tomorrow we have 42 Sherpas going to C2; 35 are carrying
loads and 7 are staying up there to start setting up tents. Those who are
staying up there are: Ang Karma, Mingma Tshering II, Karma Gyalzen, Karma
Dorje, Thunang, Passang and Sonam Dorje plus the three cooks who are already
there today so we will have 10 sherpas staying up there tomorrow night.

IMG hosted a meeting of the different teams on Everest
yesterday. On the South Side of Everest, cooperation between teams has been
the norm since 1991. We have 7000m of rope ready to move up, including 4000m
of 11mm, for fixing the route above C2. Double ropes (up and down) will be
installed in all the key spots. Also, all the old rope will get cleaned from
the Yellow Band and Geneva Spur, with new bolts placed on the Geneva Spur
(Yellow Band anchors were replaced last year).

Eleven different teams have now agreed to help transport to
C2 the 35 loads of rope and hardware for fixing the Lhotse Face and above the
Col to the summit. For Lhotse Face fixing we have 14 sherpas from 8 different
teams meeting at C2 on the 21st, with fixing scheduled to take place on the
22nd and 23rd (no climbing on the face on those days).

On the 24th the route will be open for teams to go up and
select camp sites at C3. For fixing from the South Col to the Summit, we have
three different teams lined up to do this. We are now getting permit copies
from the Ministry so we can accurately assess all the teams for the $100 per
person rope fixing fee that has been levied on climbers this year. We are also
working with the handful of climbers scheduled to try Lhotse to come up with a
fixing plan for that route as well. Thanks to all the different teams that
have agreed to work together to do the rope fixing.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

IMG Climbers Heading Back to BC; SPCC Hosts Base Camp meeting

Ang Jangbu reports that the Lobuche climbers are all down to
Lobuche Base Camp now, and they are ready to head back to Everest BC tomorrow.
Our C2/C3, Express and Lhotse crew are also in Lobuche village now, so they
are also getting close to arriving at Everest Base Camp. Up on Everest we have
54 bottles of oxygen (27 sherpa loads) and 4 loads of food getting carried to
Camp 2 tomorrow, so a total of 31 Sherpas going up to Camp 2.

There was a big meeting this afternoon hosted by the SPCC
with good turnout from the various expedition teams. The SPCC supplies the
rope and ladders and hires the Icefall "Doctors" (each team pays $400 per
climber to SPCC for using the Icefall route). The new chairman and secretary
of SPCC were present and they briefed the teams about the work SPCC has been
doing and what they plan to do in the future. Changes they are working
on include:

Human waste will be carried further down the valley
(currently the EBC human waste is carried to Gorak Shep and buried there).

Teams are encouraged to not bring glass bottles to base
camp anymore.

Better management of burnable trash (which is currently
carried to Namche for incineration there). SPCC will implement a new coupon
system to the porters at BC starting from this season — they will issue a
coupon to the porters with the number of bags and weight they are carrying
down which needs to match when the porters deliver the trash in Namche.

There will be another meeting tomorrow afternoon at the IMG
Base Camp for the teams that are volunteering to fix the rope above Camp 2.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Earlier: Ang Jangbu reports from Everest Base Camp that the Icefall
doctors set the last five ladder sections today and that the route is now
open. When that happens, it is like dropping the green flag at a Nascar race,
with everyone putting peddle to the metal to get good camp sites!

Jangbu had Mingma Tenzing and Karma Rita, two of our fastest
Sherpas, lined up to lead the charge for our team up to C1 and C2, and they
have now claimed our sites at those camps. The plan now is to hold the team
puja on the 12th, and for a big wave of sherpas to carry up on the 13th.

At Base Camp, work continues on building that camp for the
arrival of the climbers in the next few days. Jangbu and the sherpas at Base
Camp now have our VHF base station and directional beam antenna set up, so
they have crystal clear radio cmms down the valley between EBC and the
climbers in Pheriche and Lobuche.

From Pheriche IMG Sherpa guided team coach Greg Vernovage
reports that the Sherpa guided climbers are getting ready to move to Lobuche
after a couple acclimatization days in the Pheriche area (the Hamill/Hybrid
group moved up to Lobuche on schedule yesterday). Meanwhile, the
Ford/Chapman/Seely group that flew in a couple days behind the main team will
spend another day at Pheriche before moving up. And finally the Express and
Lhotse climbers are in Namche. So far everyone is doing well, and except for
an occasional sniffle, seems to be acclimatizing normally.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Earlier: The Hybrid team reached Pheriche today, over 14,000 feet,
while the Classic group was spending a rest day at Deboche. Meanwhile, Ang
Jangbu went ahead to Base Camp to check on the status of the camp, and he
reports that the Icefall doctors are making good progress and will be finished
with the route to Camp 1 in a few more days. The climbers report that the
weather has been excellent the last few days and that everyone is doing well.

Yesterday the team visited with the Lama in Tengboche and
tomorrow they will do a puja with the Lame Geshe in Pangboche, for good luck
on the mountain.

Back in Kathmandu the Everest Express, Lhotse, and C2/C3
climbers are all in town and are getting ready to fly to Lukla. So far
so good!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Earlier:
Last night we had our Welcome Dinner for the team. It was a fun evening to get
to know everyone and get the trip off to a good start. So far everything has
been going really smoothly here in Nepal. The team members have all arrived to
Nepal on time with no missing luggage.

We have now
collected from the team members their base camp duffel bags (with the gear not
required until reaching the mountain), and our head cook Kaji and his kitchen
team have been packing fresh food and vegetables. The last 3300kg of food and
gear will go tomorrow on our final helicopter charter to Shyangboche, then
direct to EBC on the yaks. This morning (the 31st in Nepal) Mike Hamill and
the Hybrid team left at 5am for the airport and the flight to Lukla. The first
group is on the way!!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Leaving on the plane for KTM

Our Everest guides are on their way to Kathmandu; we are
rolling now! This morning we saw expedition leader Justin Merle, Hybrid team
leader Mike Hamill, and Sherpa guided team leader Greg Vernovage off at the
airport. They are heading to Kathmandu ahead of the surge to get boots on the
ground over there and get ready to receive the group. Eric Simonson and Phil
and Sue Ershler leave tomorrow. Most of the climbers will be hitting Kathmandu
on the 29th or 30th. The plan is to get everyone together on the night of
March 30th at our welcome dinner at the Radisson Hotel, always a festive
evening. Then, starting the next day, the group flies to Lukla and starts
trekking in three waves... Here we go!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Earlier:
It's Everest time again!

Over the next few weeks
people from all over the world will converge on Kathmandu, Nepal to join in
one of the world's classic human-powered challenges. For some the goal will be
the summit, for others it will be Base Camp. Each year at Mt. Everest there is
a different mix of teams and countries represented, but we all share personal
goals, a love of the mountains, and an adventurous spirit.

IMG's 2010 Everest Expedition is just a few days from
officially beginning, but behind the scenes we have been working for many
months on this trip. What makes it fun for me is that every year is different,
and the outcome is unknown until the very end. We hope that everything goes
well, but we plan for the contingencies. This will be the 18th Everest
expedition I have organized and I am very proud of our IMG program. Over the
years we have seen 209 summits of Everest with our IMG teams. With all that
experience, I know that at the end of the day it comes down to the basics:
preparation, a good team, solid leadership, the right gear, and some good
luck!

We have a fine looking team heading over to Everest this
year, broken into several groups. The overall expedition leader is Justin
Merle, a 3-time Everest summiter and veteran IMG Senior guide. Heading up our
Sherpa guided climbers is IMG's Greg Venovage. Leading our "hybrid" team are
Mike Hamill and Eben Reckord. Joining the team for the trip to BC and the
month of April will be IMG partner and Everest legend Phil Ershler. I'll be
heading over to Kathmandu to meet and greet the team members, and assist as
they start the trip to base camp, in three different waves, a few days apart.
I will also be helping our IMG Cho Oyu expedition as they head for Tibet, a
few days after the Everest climbers depart.

Deputy leader Ang Jangbu and our longtime Sherpa sirdar Ang
Pasang already have some of their Sherpa team up at Base Camp working on
constructing the tent platforms from the rocky surface of the Khumbu Glacier.
All total we will have 42 climbing Sherpas and 10 Sherpa cook staff working
for us. Now that is some serious manpower! We have already sent several big
MI17 Helicopter loads to Shyangboche with over 7500 kilos of food, fuel, rope,
oxygen, and equipment. This gear, along with another heli charter of gear
flying in next week, will be transported to the Base Camp on yaks and porters
from Shyangboche. A number of our top Sherpas, veterans of many Everest
expeditions and formally trained at the Alex Lowe Khumbu Climbing School, will
be working as Sherpa guides for our team. Our Sherpa really are the best in
the business!

Back at IMG HQ in Ashford, WA near Mt Rainier, we have been
at it for many months — organizing our guides, climbing team, and the food and
gear. This year I have been working with all the main Everest commercial
groups in hopes that we can do a better job of fixing the ropes on the
climbing route. To this goal, I have bought and shipped on behalf of the teams
over 20,000 feet of high quality PMI static fixed rope, which is now on the
way to Base Camp too.

On Everest you do your best to control the variables that
you can, and you try to plan for the things you cannot. I am confident that we
have done our homework. Now it is up to the climbers, the guides, the
mountain, and the gods. Let the games begin!